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Sin-Eaters
'The Order of Sin-Eaters' '' Purpose: To understand the Kindred condition and their place in the world through a study of human vice and wickedness. ''Doctrine: ''Sin-Eaters are, in fact, entirely mis-named. They believe that the black, tarry substance they draw from their vessels is a physical manifestation of sin - and understandably so, given that it is accompanied by the intense emotions of the original experience. In reality, it is more akin to lancing a boil, relieving the pressure of an experience that literally damaged the vessel's soul. They also believe that vampires constantly excude this 'sinful' residue, which weighs down the soul; and that sufficient understanding of the nature of sin should allow a means of alleviating vampiric Damnation. Common methods range from the simple (drinking the sins of a wide variety of mortals to establish a catalog of the properties of different 'kinds' of sin) to the grotesquely complex (forcing a mortal to commit grievous sins and then eating that same sin to see how the human psyche reacts) to the mystical (attempting to transfer some or all of the vampire's own sins to the mortal to study the mortal soul's ability to absorb sin). ''Membership: ''Why a Kindred becomes a Sin-Eater varies. Some are truly in pursuit of knowledge. Some do it out of a kind of selfless martyrdom, saving the souls of others by piling their sins onto a soul that is already Damned. Others enjoy the sick rush - not the same as the ecstasy of feeding, but no less intense. Regardless of their initial motivation, most grow addicted to the experience, which allows them to partake in the pure, primal emotion of the act itself, unmuted by undeath. Any Kindred may become a Sin-Eater, but they tend to be most attractive to the Ordo Dracul and the Lancea Sanctum, (though traditionalists of both Covenants strongly disapprove of them). Mortals who become Sin-Eaters are usually dragged in to the practice by Kindred rather than of their own volition, but a rare few come to it naturally through their cultural heritage. 'Benefits' • The character becomes a Scapegoat, and learns the theory of how to drink another creature's sin. He gains a Specialty in Occult (Sin-Eaters). •• The character gains the Sin-Eater Merit. This is the highest Status ghouls or mortals can reach. ••• The character gains access to Hamartiaphage as an out-of-Clan Discipline. •••• The character gains the Mind of a Madman Merit, but requires him to have consumed the subject's sin rather than studying the subject's crimes. He may only apply this Merit to one subject at a time, though it does not need to be the one he has most recently drunk from. ••••• The character becomes a Mother or Father Confessor, and gains the Meditative Mind (••••) Merit to reflect his skill at weathering experiences that might shake others. 'Merit' Sin-Eater (••) ''Prerequisites: Resolve •••, Composure ••, Occult • Sin-Eating is a ritualized process that requires a minimum of thirty minutes, the expenditure of one Willpower and a successful Resolve + Occult roll reflexively opposed by the vessel's Resolve + Composure. (This dice pool is not limited by the Sin-Eater's Blood Potency or lack thereof). Success allows the subject to make a new detachment roll for her most recently failed breaking point, rolling as if her Integrity was one higher than it currently is. An exceptional success on the ritual gives a +2 bonus to the detachment roll. If this check succeeds, the vessel regains one dot of Integrity, to a maximum of 6. The Sin-Eater experiences the breaking point as if it were happening to himself. If this would constitute a breaking point, he must immediately make a detachment roll. In addition, The Sin-Eater regains one point of Willpower per successful attempt, while the vessel suffers one point of lethal damage. 'Hamartiaphage' • Knowing the Sin : Cost: '''None : '''Dice Pool: '''Wits + Empathy + Hamartiaphage versus Composure + Blood Potency : '''Action: '''Instant and contested; resistance is reflexive. : '''Dramatic Failure: ''As written, but replace degeneration check with detachment check.'' : Failure: ''As written.'' : Success: '''The character experiences the vessel's emotions and thoughts as well as the direct sensory experience of the breaking point. Assuming the vessel knows any other people involved, the Sin-Eater gains an intuitive understanding of their identities as well. : '''Exceptional Success: '''The Sin-Eater also gains the Connected Condition, which applies to the vessel rather than to a group. : '''Suggested Modifiers: '''Blood Sympathy (+2); Breaking point was encountered within the last week (+1); Breaking point was encountered more than one year ago (-1). •• Cloak of Wickedness : '''Cost: '''1 Willpower : '''Dice Pool: '''Resolve + Empathy + Hamartiaphage : '''Action: '''Instant : '''Roll Results: ''As written, but replace degeneration check with detachment check.'' ••• Sin Lash : Cost: '''1 Vitae and Willpower : '''Dice Pool: '''Manipulation + Empathy + Hamartiaphage vs. Composure + Blood Potency : '''Action: '''Instant and contested, resistance is reflexive. : '''Dramatic Failure: ''As written.'' : Failure: ''As written.'' : Success: '''The target is struck by the trauma of a breaking point relevant at her Humanity, and makes a detachment roll. A Condition is applied as usual if she fails, which persists until resolved or until the victim succeeds on an extended Resolve + Composure roll with a number of necessary successes equal to 10 - her Humanity. One roll can be made at the end of each night. : '''Exceptional Success: As above, but the target number of successes to escape the Condition without resolving it increases by three. : This power requires eye contact (-1 if the target is moving, distant, or deliberately trying to avoid eye contact) and may never be used on the same character more than once a week. A character can only be subject to one instance of this power at a time. 'Source' Mythologies, pp 55-60. Category:Shadow Cults Category:Cults Category:Order of the Sin-Eaters Category:Merits Category:Unique Disciplines Category:Translations